Katie's Glimpse (The Glimpse Series) (27 page)

Levi took the day
off so we could get our marriage license and pick out his suit, since the
wedding was only two weeks away. His mom was thrilled when I called to ask her
to babysit. I knew Asher was in great hands and didn’t worry.

We ran our errands
and had the rest of the day all to ourselves. He told me he took the week after
the wedding off for our honeymoon. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going. He
wanted it to be a surprise.

 “I need to know if
where we are going requires us to fly, because I’ve never flown. I might panic,”
I said with a grimace.

He smiled and patted
my knee. “I know, baby. I called your mom and told her where we were going. She
told me you’ve never flown.”

 
Oh, so Mom
already knows where we’re going.
I gave him a sly smile.

“Don’t even think
about asking her about it. She won’t tell you,” he said, his face serious.

I gave him a pout. He
leaned down and kissed it away.

“So, we won’t fly?”
I asked, my voice already rising in panic at the thought.

“Oh, we’ll still fly,
but you’ll have your medication, and I’ll be right by your side. I’m telling
you now so you’ll have two weeks to get used to the idea,” he said, taking my
face in his hands. “You can do this, Katie.”

 I had two weeks to
prepare myself. I could do it.

“Oh and you’ll need
a passport,” he added.

A passport, that
meant we’d be going to another country. I gave him a huge grin as I thought of
another way to get my answer. “So, tell me what I need to pack for this mystery
honeymoon.”

He pulled me from
the couch and led me to my room. He went to the closet and pulled out a
sundress and a pair of sandals. Wordlessly, he held them out to me.

 “Okay, it’s
obviously somewhere warm,” I said, letting out a squeal. He chuckled but stayed
tight lipped.

I spent the next few
minutes going through the closet and drawers for my nicest summer clothes. He
shook his head occasionally at something I held up, and those went into the
reject pile. With my honeymoon wardrobe finally picked out, I realized I didn’t
have a swim suit. I hadn’t been swimming in years.

“Uh, I don’t have a
swim suit. Do I need one?”

 “Yes. You most
definitely need a swim suit.”

“Oh, for the pool?”
I asked with a sly grin.

He chuckled and shrugged
his shoulders. I scowled at him when I realized he really wasn’t going to tell
me where we were going.

“I guess I better go
buy one.”

 Levi’s eyes lit up
when he heard this and insisted on taking me to the department store right
then.

***

We walked through
the store hand in hand, finally finding the swim suit department. I was amazed
at all the different styles. I thumbed through a rack of one-pieces. Levi stood
patiently to the side, letting me shop. I found several one-pieces and a
striped tankini I liked. I grabbed a few matching cover ups too. I made my way
to the dressing room with him following behind.

“Are you going to
let me see them on you?” he asked, his blue eyes shining.

I shrugged my
shoulders. “Sure. Just stay close.”

 A saleswoman
unlocked a fitting room, and I tried on the first one-piece. It was black with
red trim at the bust. I studied myself in the mirror. I weighed less now than in
high school and knew it was because of the anxiety and stress I’d been under.
I’d gone up almost two cup sizes during my pregnancy and only went back down
one, so my body actually looked better now.

Levi had gotten an
eye full of me getting out of the shower a couple of weeks earlier, but that
was just a glance and from a distance. This was an up close view, under the
terrible lighting of the department store. I took a deep breath and opened the
door, looking around the dressing area to make sure I was alone. I walked
hesitantly to the entrance and hid behind the doorframe, only peeking around to
find Levi. He sat in a chair next to the mirrors and when he looked up, our
eyes met. He strolled over but stopped in the dressing area entrance, an
expectant gleam in his eye.

I stepped out from
behind my hiding place and waited for his reaction. I watched his eyes go from
my face, all the way to my feet. He kept his expression blank, so I couldn’t
tell if he liked it or not. His eyes made their way back to mine. He made a
twirling motion with his finger- I guess that meant he wanted me to show him
the back view. I rolled my eyes and slowly turned around. I glanced over my
shoulder and saw his huge grin. He was enjoying this, a lot.

“Well?” I said as I
turned back to face him.

He had a serious
look on his face. “I need to see the other ones.”

I huffed out a
breath and went back to the fitting room, his laughter ringing in my ears. I
tried on the others and got the same response from him.

“That was all of
them, Levi. Which one did you like the most?”

 He cupped his chin
in his hand pretending to be in heavy thought, so I went back to the fitting
room to get dressed. I was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

“Ma’am, your fiancée
would like you to try on this one.”

She held the suit
over the door and after squinting to make sure what I saw was real, I cringed.
I took it from her, holding it away from my body, and shook my head. He had
picked out a hot pink string bikini. I sighed,
only because I love him
.

 I turned my back on
the mirror and slipped it on. My mouth flew open when I turned around and saw
my reflection. He was nuts if he thought I would wear this scrap of material in
public. The top covered me, but not by much. I turned to check the back view
and gasped, half of my rear hung out. I glanced down to check the size on the
tag, thinking he’d picked up a size too small- nope, it was right. I tried to
tug it into place, but it wasn’t happening. I turned back around and noted my
bright red face. I blew my bangs out of my eyes and grabbed the door handle.
I’m
going to kill him.

I slowly opened the
door and made my way to the entrance. I hid behind the doorframe again. There
was no way I’d let anyone but Levi see me in this peek-a-boo bikini. He saw my
red face and laughed loudly. He came to stand in front of the entrance again,
but I wouldn’t step out.

“Katie, let me see
it,” he said with a wicked grin.

I quickly stepped
from behind my hiding spot and watched his face. His jaw dropped and I smiled.
Checkmate!

“Do you like this one?”
I asked sweetly.

He closed his mouth,
swallowed and nodded his head.

“Would you like to
see the back?”

He nodded his head
again, still unable to find his voice. I turned around but kept my eyes on his
face. He stared, blinked several times and stared again. I turned back around
and waited patiently, until his eyes finally found mine.

“Uh...wow, you look
amazing, but there is no way you are wearing that out in front of other people.
That suit is for private viewing only,” he said, rubbing his hand down his
face.

I laughed. “Why
don’t you go sit down while I change? You look a little flushed,” I teased.

He chuckled but went
and sat down. I grinned as a thought popped into my head. After seeing his
reaction to me in this bikini, I needed to make a few purchases in another
department- without him. I ended up buying three suits, including the bikini,
and two cover ups.

When we were
finished, I asked him to wait in the truck while I bought a few more things I
needed. He looked at me strangely but left the store, and I hustled to the
lingerie department. Sydney, with her sweet baby, Isabel, in tow, had taken me
shopping the week before for my wedding night lingerie. It was beautiful, but
now I wanted more for the honeymoon. I picked up a lacy, black outfit that made
the string bikini look like a turtleneck. I giggled as I picked out a few more
things.

That poor man
isn’t going to know what hit him.

I climbed into the
truck with my bag of surprises tucked tightly under my arm. He looked over at
me and grinned. “Whatcha got in that bag?”

 I smiled sweetly
and replied, “I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

He pouted and just
like he’d done mine earlier, I kissed it away.

I looked over the
white-tulle covered railings of the back deck in awe as the final touches were
made to the beautiful flower lined arbor, where I would stand at sunset and
promise my forever to the man of my dreams, the man that God had made with me
in mind. The smell of lilacs, garden roses, lilies, and hydrangeas were
intoxicating. I glanced over at the rows of chairs and candle filled lanterns
that edged the white satin aisle. It would soon lead me to Levi. I smiled as I
thought back to when I told him I wanted to have a simple wedding and loved
that even though it was still a simple, garden style wedding, it was absolutely
breathtaking.

I was amazed at what
Mom and Kathy had accomplished in a month. The moment I called them to see what
they thought about putting together a wedding in such a short time, they both
hit the ground running. We poured over at least half a dozen bridal magazines.
I looked at pictures of flower arrangements, dresses, cakes, invitations, and
everything else “wedding” until my eyes blurred from fatigue.

Over the next week,
with a plan of action in place, I was escorted by the two giggling women to the
nursery, bridal shop, bakery, printers, and tons of other places that ran
together after about the sixth one. I was in a wedding-planning whirlwind and even
as exhausted as I was, I loved every minute of it. I hadn’t let myself picture
a future that included being a wife and mother in a long time. I thought those
options weren’t open to me after all I’d done, but God had other ideas.

I spent my evenings
with Levi and Asher, either at his place or mine. We’d have a nice dinner, play
with Asher, talk wedding plans and about our future together, but we always
ended the night the same way- with a hug and kiss goodnight at my front door.
He’d kept his promise to God, even though I knew how gut-wrenchingly hard it
was.

I sensed him behind
me before I felt his arms wrap around my waist. He leaned down and rested his
head on my shoulder. “Are you ready for this, my sweet angel?” he whispered,
his warm breath tickling my ear.

I reached my hand
back to stroke his face. “More ready than you could ever know,” I replied.

“When are our moms
and Hallie coming over to help you get ready?

At the mention of Hallie’s
name, I smiled. I hadn’t seen my best friend since she’d left for college, and
I missed her so much. “They’ll be here any minute.”

Levi turned me
around to face him and gave me a gentle kiss. ”I’ve got to go to Zach’s house to
get ready, but when I come back I’ll be waiting for you at the end of that
aisle.”

My heart pounded in
my chest as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I was so in love with this
man. He kissed the small scar on my forehead before walking away.

 I went into the
house, our house now, just as Mom, Kathy, and Hallie came through the door.
Hallie squealed and ran into my arms, both of us crying tears of happiness over
our reunion. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered. She was beaming,
and I knew that look. I saw it on my own face in the mirror often. She was in
love.

***

They primped and
pampered me the rest of the afternoon and by six-thirty, I heard my friends and
family gathering outside. Mom helped me into my chiffon, V-neck gown. It was
white with lace appliqué on the fitted bodice and a plunge ruffled back that
fluttered in the breeze. The beautiful gown ended in a sweep train. I had chosen
to wear white as a symbol of the purity of our relationship.  

Dad came into the
room with Asher on his hip. He smiled and reached for me. “Momma,” he said as Dad
gently held him next to me so I could kiss his chubby cheeks.

He put him back on
his hip. “Sorry, little man, but Momma already has on her pretty dress,” he
said and tickled him under the chin. Asher forgot about me and giggled.

He wore a small grey
suit with a lilac tie. He looked so grown up and handsome. He was still too
young to be involved in the ceremony, so he was going to sit with my parents on
the front row.

 It was almost time
to go, and I felt nervous but excited as Hallie pinned the sides of my hair
back in an antique silver hair comb that once belonged to my grandmother. She
hugged me before leaving to take her spot as the maid of honor along with Zach,
who was Levi’s best man.

Kathy dried the
tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “I’m so happy for you and Levi,”
she said, kissing my cheek before she left.

Mom pulled me into
her arms. “Katie, this is it sweetie. You found the one for you and are going
to have a wonderful life together. I’m so proud of you,” she said as she kissed
my forehead. She took Asher in her arms, leaving me alone with Dad. He smiled
sweetly at me and handed me the bouquet of garden irises and lilacs. I took it,
my hand shaking slightly.

“Breathe, pumpkin,”
he said and linked my arm through his. He led me to the open sliding glass door,
where we stood waiting for our cue as the white curtains blew gently in the
breeze. As the harp and violin music began to play the wedding march, he spoke
in a voice thick with emotion, “That’s us. You look beautiful, and I love you
so much.”

 He kissed my
forehead, and I looked up into his sweet smiling face. “I love you, Daddy,” I
said as I fought back my own tears.

We made our way
across the deck, down the stairs, and stepped onto the yard. I kept my eyes on
my feet, making sure I didn’t trip. I took a deep breath as we reached the
start of the white satin aisle. I looked up and locked eyes with Levi. He had a
look of wonder on his face, and I knew my face held the same. He looked
incredible in his light grey pinstripe suit and lilac tie.

Dad led me to Levi’s
side and kissed my cheek before joining my hand with my soon to be husband’s
and answered, “Her mother and I,” when the pastor asked who was giving me away.

We stood before
Pastor Greg as he began the ceremony. Levi squeezed my hand. I looked up into
his smiling face and saw the love for me shining in his blue eyes. We stood
side-by-side, his muscular arm pressing against my bare shoulder, causing the butterflies
in my belly to go wild. The sun started its slow decent as we said our vows,
the slight breeze causing my dress to flutter.

Levi said his first
as he gazed into my eyes. “Katie, I stand before you in front of God, our
family, and friends professing my eternal love for you. God brought you into my
life and I will cherish you, be your strength when you have none left, help you
when you have struggles, pick you up when you fall, and chase away all your
fears. But most importantly, I’ll pray for you until I take my last breath.
Thank you for letting me love you and for giving me a son. I love him with all
my heart and promise these same vows to him.” He slipped the ring onto my
finger and then it was my turn.

“Levi, I stand here
by your side with my heart overflowing with love for you. You found me when I
was lost and struggling and through your faith in the Lord, showed me the way
back to Him. You loved me enough to step aside and let me lean on the Lord’s
strength, no matter the cost to you. I will spend the rest of my days at your
side loving you, helping you, and following you as you lead us down the path
the Lord has directed. I will pray for you and our family always. I thank you
for believing in me when I didn’t, standing up for me when I couldn’t, and for
loving me when I thought I wasn’t worth it. I will thank God every day for
blessing me with a husband and Asher a father, like you.”

I slipped the ring
on his finger and Pastor Greg turned us to face our family and friends. I
watched, confused, as Dad stood up and brought Asher over, placing him in
Levi’s arms. He settled him on his hip, smiled at me, and took my hand.

Behind us, Pastor
Greg announced loudly, “It is my great pleasure to give you, Mr. and Mrs. Levi
Wesley Phillips and their son Asher Crane- soon to be Phillips.”

I looked up at Levi
and couldn’t fight back my tears of joy any longer. He released my hand and
brushed them away. “I love you both so much,” he said softly.

I smiled and kissed
his hand. “We love you, always.”

We made our way, as
a family, down the aisle to the sounds of applause.

With the ceremony over,
most of the guests moved to the white reception tent further down the property.
We stayed behind for pictures and as we finally made our way to the tent, were
greeted by cheers, applause, and a few whistles. We couldn’t contain our
laughter as we were directed to the head table.

 The tent looked
just as wonderful as everything else. Our moms had really outdone themselves.
Candlelight reflected off the tent walls creating a romantic atmosphere. The
linen covered tables each had a beautiful lilac and garden rose centerpiece.
The tables were lined along the edges of the tent, leaving an open space in the
middle for a dance floor. Music played as our friends and family served
themselves from the casual, buffet style table of food. I glanced over at all
the food and cringed. I was too nervous to eat.

Levi had told his
mom that I sang like an angle, so of course, she thought it would be wonderful
for us to sing a duet during the reception. She’d informed us she already had the
perfect song in mind.

Never one to like
the spotlight, I said no but that didn’t deter Kathy. She simply got my mom
involved, and I agreed to do it. She wouldn’t let us practice together saying she
wanted our duet to be a new experience for us and saved for the reception.

I laughed when Levi
came back with a huge plate of food.
Obviously, he isn’t nervous.
“You’re
going to be sick if you eat all that,” I said, staring at the pile of food.

He set the plate
between us and smiled. “It’s not all for me. I know you’re nervous about
singing in front of everyone, but you need to eat.”

I let out a small
groan but picked up a grape and popped it into my mouth. After I got it down, I
smiled sweetly at him. “Katie,” he said, handing me a fork. “eat for me,
please.”  

I sighed, took the
fork, and ate several bites. The food felt like lead in my stomach. I set the
fork back down, scared that if I ate anymore it would come back up. I picked up
my glass and gulped down some water, trying to ease my dry throat. I glanced
over at Levi. He smiled and continued to eat.
Yep, he’s just fine.

I uncrossed and
crossed my leg again, swinging it back and forth under the table. I accidentally
kicked him in the shin. “Sorry,” I muttered but continued to swing my leg
nervously.

He reached under the
table, grabbing my calf after I’d kicked him for the third time. “Baby, you
have got to settle down. I’m going to be limping by the time we get up there to
sing,” he said.

 “It’s no big deal
for you. You sing all the time and sound great. What if I freeze up or sound
terrible?” I whined.

He released my calf
and moved his hand to the back of my head. He reached under my hair and began
to slowly stroke the back of my neck with his thumb. “You won’t. You have a
beautiful voice. Now, just take a deep breath.”

I took a few slow
deep breaths as he continued to glide his thumb up and down my neck. Chill
bumps erupted on my arms, and I completely forgot about being nervous. I
glanced up at his smiling face. He winked then leaned down, placing his warm
lips against my ear. “Better?” he asked in a whisper.

My brain stopped
functioning for a second. I nodded my head. “Uh huh,” I managed to reply. He
chuckled and picked up his fork, feeding me a bite of food. I gladly accepted
it before realizing what he’d done.
Oh, he’s rotten. He knew exactly what he
was doing.
I grinned and kicked him lightly under the table once more. “I’m
on to you.”

He laughed loudly
and replied, “I got you to eat another bite, didn’t I?” Nerves calmed, I picked
up my fork and ate while he smiled on.

When the guests had finished
their meals, Kathy stepped onto the dance floor and spoke into a microphone.
“The bride and groom have a surprise for their guests. They have prepared a
song for you all and let me just say, this is a big deal because they have
never sang together.”

 We stood up and trooped
to the dance floor. Kathy handed us our microphones and the music started for
“When God Made You”. Levi turned to face me, took my hand, and began to sing. I
smiled as he sang the words that meant so much to both of us. My part was up
and I opened my mouth and sang the beautiful words from my heart. A
breathtaking smile crossed Levi’s face. We sang the duet part and our voices
blended perfectly. When it was over, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I saw Levi
wipe his eyes before he pulled me into his arms and kissed my lips. “Baby, I’m
in awe of you,” he said as he dried my tears.

We turned to face
our friends and family. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. They gave us a
standing ovation with shouts and whistles. We bowed for them and laughed through
all the fuss. I glanced over at Kathy and mouthed “thank you”. She nodded her
head as tears streamed down her smiling face. I would never doubt another idea
of hers again.

The music continued
and it was time for our first dance as husband and wife. Levi chose the song
“The Love of My Life” by Jim Brickman. He sang the words softly in my ear as we
danced in front of our family and friends. I looked up into the beautiful eyes
of my husband and knew every word was true.